I’m climbing out of the Sarlacc pit this week to visit my favorite Disneyland attraction’s return and peek through the knot holes at how amazingly my Star Wars Land is coming along. Let’s switch off the targeting computer and blow this thing!
First of all…Darth Daver is not finding a new definition of pain and suffering while being slowly digested over a…thousand years…
I am on hiatus while working on a movie. But I couldn’t resist getting back to the park to see what’s going on.
A little background…it was Boba Fett that fell in the Sarlacc pit and then crawled out to become Supreme Leader Snoke. Or it was Mace Windu. Or Grand Moff Tarkin. Depending on which theories you believe. But I digress…
| It’s back… |
Doing rope drop…as I like to do…You wait underneath that sign.
And when the magic begins, you walk briskly past those innocuous banners.
And there it is…
Hyperspace Mountain is back! With little fanfare, no “Season Of The Force” and no official announcement, the best thing to happen to Tomorrowland since Star Tours returned after the Ghost Galaxy overlay left with Halloweentime. With it’s return came the rope drop rush and the constant long wait times. But you know what? It’s worth it!
| News From The Outer Rim |
Rogue One Is Almost Here
Wanna’ know the best news I heard on Election Day? My Facebook Friend posted this:
“Remember no matter what happens today, Rogue One comes out in 37 days.”
Thanks, Hooter! That made my day!
Catalyst
If you want a little backstory on Rogue One and a little appetizer before the film’s release, a new novel “Catalyst” will be released on November 14.
From Amazon’s description:
“War is tearing the galaxy apart. For years the Republic and the Separatists have battled across the stars, each building more and more deadly technology in an attempt to win the war. As a member of Chancellor Palpatine’s top secret Death Star project, Orson Krennic is determined to develop a superweapon before their enemies can. And an old friend of Krennic’s, the brilliant scientist Galen Erso, could be the key.
Galen’s energy-focused research has captured the attention of both Krennic and his foes, making the scientist a crucial pawn in the galactic conflict. But after Krennic rescues Galen, his wife, Lyra, and their young daughter, Jyn, from Separatist kidnappers, the Erso family is deeply in Krennic’s debt. Krennic then offers Galen an extraordinary opportunity: to continue his scientific studies with every resource put utterly at his disposal. While Galen and Lyra believe that his energy research will be used purely in altruistic ways, Krennic has other plans that will finally make the Death Star a reality. Trapped in their benefactor’s tightening grasp, the Ersos must untangle Krennic’s web of deception to save themselves and the galaxy itself.”
Could make for great reading waiting outside the gates in the early morning at Disneyland, at the Hub and waiting in line for Hyperspace Mountain. Really…the best day ever!
New SW8 Trailer On Thanksgiving?
If you recall…Two Thanksgivings ago, we woke up to a special surprise. It was the first trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That was the first time we saw the Millennium Falcon in thirty years. We saw a mysterious red lightsaber with a saber hilt. And we heard the music that we missed so much. That trailer was dropped with little notice as a holiday gift. Will we get a similar gift this Thanksgiving?
| Coolest Merchandise Ever!!! |
Thanksgiving is around the corner, but you know what’s right after that? Christmas! So guess what’s at the top of my Christmas list? German label Musterbrand, know for gaming and entertainment designs, has a line of Star Wars inspired clothing that doesn’t look like something you’d only see at Comic-Con. You can get Rey’s sweater, Luke’s Jacket, or a Sith Lord’s Coat.
You can see all these designs and more at Musterbrands web site. And…BTW…if you’re Christmas shopping…I wear an XL.
| Star Wars Land Construction |
I haven’t seen Star Wars Land in a long few weeks. I was amazed to see the project actually starting to look like…things. I walked around Big Thunder Mountain to the fence and could see rock formations! With Critter Country open again, I was able to walk from the Haunted Mansion and see the elevated tracks of the Disneyland Railroad that will pass by the waterfall next summer! Before we get into the new stuff, let’s take a look at how far the project has come so far.
In January, Big Thunder Trail was closed along with the Rivers Of America and all the associated attractions. Within a few months, the backstage area was demolished. By summertime, it looked like this:
MiceChat created a graphic that shows what the area was like before, and what we expect the layout to look like when complete.
[beforeafter]
[/beforeafter]
I’ll refer to the areas in the photos by the geographic location in the aerial photo and the future development in the interactive graphic. As the walls are going up around the perimeter of Star Wars Land, I may refer to the “inner wall”, which will separate the Disneyland Rail Road and SWL in contrast to the “outer wall”, which will separate the DLRR from Rivers Of America and Fantasyland. We’ll start in the north and go clockwise through the development.
In the north part of the site where a mound of dirt collected from grading and being used to fill in different elevations now, we nicknamed this the Dirt Star when it was the most dominating feature in the land. But lately it’s been leveling off as the dirt is filling in around retaining walls. This is closest to the N on the photo and the future site of the Millennium Falcon attraction.
A new building has been constructed backstage. Is this the new home for the parade floats?
Just east of that, where the Disneyland Rail Road is being routed, the large inner wall made with steel I-beams and wood lagging will create a berm separating Fantasyland and SWL.
On the other side of this wall, the DLRR will make the turn into the Toontown Station. Behind the I-beams, the forms around a rebar core are going in to connect to an earlier piece built that will form the outer wall around the DLRR.
Nearby, an arch is where the SWL entrance from Fantasyland will have the DLRR cross overhead.
The next set of photos is approximately the middle of the aerial photo and will include the Fantasmic Backstage. This maze of walls will come off the Rivers of American to an area where the showboats can be stored and serviced.
In this area is the entrance from Frontierland tunnel that will have the DLRR crossing overhead.
Over the wall, you can see the tip of Tom Sawyer’s Island has gained some rock formations.
On the Frontierland side of the tunnel entrance, new rock formations have formed here as well.
Changing perspective, from Frontierland, by the Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road exit, you can see this area through the trees. Not long ago, there wasn’t much to see but flat cement forms. Now there are what looks like wood and rock décor forming. It’s looking like a LAND!
Following around the inner wall the south side of the site will connect to Critter Country.
There will be a walkway from between the Canoes on the River and the Hungry Bear Restaurant to SWL. We can finally see it starting to take shape.
From the Critter Country side, we can see a little closer. And what’s that in the background?
From the walkway between Haunted Mansion and Hungry Bear, we can see the elevated tracks of the DLRR where they will cross in front of the waterfall.
On the west side of SWL, the excavation for the Battle Escape show building is still expanding.
There are a lot of retaining walls going up around the area. Is this the beginning of blocking out the outside world?
That’s it for this update. Back to the pit for me. See you all real soon!
| As Always… |
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